Submitted

Fri, Aug 8th 2014 06:10 pm

WNY delegation opposes
efforts to scale back training requirements

In a letter to Federal Aviation Administration Administrator
Michael Huerta, Congressmembers Brian Higgins, Louise Slaughter, Chris Collins
and Tom Reed are calling on the FAA to maintain the more rigorous pilot
training requirements recently implemented, despite pleas by some in the
airline industry to relax qualifications.

The Western New York Congressmembers joined with local Flight 3407
families in pressing for reforms following the tragic crash in 2009. New
guidelines for pilot qualifications, training and rest requirements were
authorized through the Airline Safety and Aviation Extension Act of 2010.

However, some of the smaller regional airlines are attempting to evade
the new rules. Members are seeking to maintain the "one level of safety"
standard that guarantees adequate training and rest requirements for all
commercial airlines, big and small.

Furthermore, the regional airlines seeking exemptions from these safety
rules were the very same airlines that were found to have had the most serious
safety deficiencies by the National Transportation Safety Board.

"We worked too hard, and local families lost too much, for us to sit
back and watch while some in the industry attempt to sidestep the rules,"
Higgins said. "The flying public is safer today thanks to these reforms, and we
intend to hold them to the law - for the good of all airline passengers."

"Flight 3407 was a preventable tragedy, and these families fought hard
for legislation to improve training standards and prevent future tragedies," Slaughter
said. "It is disturbing that the FAA is disregarding the law and ignoring the
NTSB by allowing industry to create its own loophole to these training
requirements. Every family that puts their lives in the hands of a commercial
pilot - regardless of the size of the aircraft - should have the peace of mind
that the pilot is properly trained."

"We will not stand by idly while airlines attempt to go around the
rules and safeguards the families of Flight 3407 advocated to put in place," Collins
said. "We learned a hard lesson in 2009, and have worked tirelessly the past
five years to ensure those same mistakes are not repeated. Now is not the time
to undo the progress that has been made."

Reed added, "The families of Flight 3407 worked tirelessly to prevent
other families from losing loved ones. Circumventing new pilot training
requirements potentially threatens the safety of passengers. These measures
were put in place to protect and care for the flying public. We owe it to every
passenger to stand up for these safety standards."